Major stock markets traded mixed in sparse summer trading Friday, with oil prices edging higher and the dollar slipping as investors assess the outlooks for U.S. interest rates and the war in the Middle East. Data this week showing cooler inflation in the U.S. has bolstered expectations that the Federal Reserve will not rush to…
MTN Group expects underlying earnings to rise as much as 23% in the first half of 2026, even as a writedown on its Iranian business and currency losses cut reported profit. Africa’s largest mobile operator forecast adjusted headline earnings per share of 775 cents to 808 cents, up 18% to 23% from 657 cents a…
Shortly before Air Force One took off from Turkey at the end of last month’s NATO summit, President Trump secretly slipped away from the presidential jet and was whisked to another plane with the help of an airport catering truck, according to a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the matter. The ruse was employed…
MTN Group will book a material impairment against its 49% stake in Irancell in its results for the six months to June, the company said in a trading statement ahead of interim numbers due on 24 August. The writedown pushes statutory earnings sharply lower even as the group’s underlying operating performance improved. Impairment losses of…
An Israeli attack on southern Lebanon wounded two people on Tuesday and damaged an ambulance, the Lebanese health ministry said, condemning the “continued targeting” of rescuers. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the strike targeted a vehicle in the southern city of Nabatieh, with the health ministry reporting two wounded. The ministry said the Israeli…
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a press conference held at the Ministry of Interior in Tehran, Iran, on Aug. 8, 2026, on the occasion of National Journalists’ Day. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is not currently in direct talks with the U.S. to end the war with…
Oman has said positive talks have been taking place with Iran over an agreement to secure a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran warned that any deal would not see an immediate reopening of the vital waterway. Both sides suggested on Saturday that discussions were progressing, but a timeline on any deal…
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Masrour Barzani denies any ‘pressure’ to enter the Iran war despite over 1,000 attacks. Published On 8 Aug 20268 Aug 2026 Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, says the semi-autonomous Kurdish region does not want to become involved in the ongoing…
In the wake of cyberattacks on American water systems and cutbacks to federal assistance programs, some water companies are turning to volunteers, smaller cybersecurity companies and an AI program from Vanderbilt University for help. A new initiative announced Friday would create a first-of-its-kind hub for water facilities to share information on cyberthreats and build specialized…
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) sails behind the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), June 27, 2026. Frank E. Petersen Jr. is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East. Courtesy: U.S. Navy Iran and Oman…
